Stabilizer for motor vehicles



July 24, 1934. M. J. DAVIS 1,967,997

STABILIZER FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Sept. 21, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY y 4, 1934 M. J. DAVIS 1,967,997

STABILIZER FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Sept. 21, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f 57 i6 f y N I M i H llllIIHHHHH Ill illllll INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented July 24, 1934 1 1,957,997:

v uNirEos'r Ts OFFICE I STABILIZER FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Michael J. Davis, Brooklyn, N. Y.,.assignor to Clara Davis, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application September 21, 1933, Serial No. 690,413

2 Claims. (01. 28089) This invention relates to improvements insta- Fig. 11 is a side view with certain of the parts bilizers for motor vehicles and. more particularly relatively reversed; and to improvements in the stabilization of the steer- Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken along the lin ing system; the present application being a con- 12-12 of Fig.11 looking in the direction of the tinuation in part of my co-pending applications, arrows. Serial Number 564,994, filed September-25, 1931 Like reference characters designate corre-' and Serial Number 644,197, filed November 25, sponding parts throughout the several figures of 1932. the drawings.

One object of this invention is the improvement Heretofore as disclosed in my aforesaid com; of the steering characteristics of a motor vehicle. pending applications it has been proposed to em- Another object of this invention is the eliminaploy a concave ,lined'shoe conforming in configtionof' what is commonly known as shimmying. uration to the configuration of a central sector Another object of this invention is the prevenof the steering rod, and to adjust said steering tion of distortion of the steering or connecting rod'to exert pressure against the lined face of 15; rods and/or the alignment of the front wheelsof said shoe when the front wheels are in straight a motor vehicle. forward running position. Exerting pressure In accordance with this invention means semid-way of the steeringrod tends to bow or bend cured to the axle of the front or steering wheels it in they middle, and this in turn tends to-change of a motor vehicle is caused to engage with the the position of the lever arms controlling the 20v connecting rod between the front wheels to .resteering wheels thereby introducing an error in Y5 siliently bridge the mid-section of the connecting the alignment of the, latter, and the more the rod'to the fixed framework of the motor vehicle steering rod is bowed or bent by the pressure of when the wheels are aligned in straight forward the lined shoe the greater this error becomes. running position, to prevent'any jaror vibration As is well-known any error in the alignmentof 25; communicated to said connecting rod by one front the front or steering wheels of a motor vehicle wheel from being communicatedto the other tends to quickly wear out the front tire treads front wheel, thereby. preventing the wheels from thereby greatly shortening the useful life of the turning and swerving the motor vehicle from its tires. In the present, invention the lined shoe true course. is so arranged that'the steering rod. will notice 30 In the drawings comprising. two sheets of 12 bowed or bent so that the alignment of the front figures numbered Figures 1 to 12' inclusive. or steering wheels is not impaired.

Fig. 1 is a plan View of thezfront or steering Referring to Figure 1, the front or steering wheels. wheel unit 10, consists essentially of wheels Fig. 2 is a top plan view'of a stabilizer; l2'--12 rotatably mounted on spindles which are 51 Fig.3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the carried .by: the usual steering knuckles, pivotally line 3 3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the mounted to opposite ends of axle 11. The movearrows. ment of thewheels 12 12 is controlled by the Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of a stabilizer of lever arms 13-13which are connected to oppo- Fig. 2 viewed from below. site ends of connecting rod 14, to which the shaft 40 Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line of the. steering wheel (not shown) is intended 5-'-5 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arto be secured, so that by turning the steering rows. wheel the connecting rod 14 is caused to move to Fig. 6 is-a cross-sectional View taken along the actuate. lever arms 13-13 and turn wheels line 6-6 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the 1212. arrows. One form of my improved stabilizer is shown Fig.7 is a plan view of the front or steering inFigures 2 too inclusive. It consists of an anwheels'showing a modified form of stabilizer as-- gular shoe 26 having'an angular lining 2'7 consembly. forming in contour to the inner angular faceof Fig. 8 is a plan view of a modified form of stabishoe-.26. The lining y be of y ui 5 lizer shown in "Fig.7. -i j type, the type of, lining used for lining the brakes Fig.9 is a sectional View of said modified form= 'm t r v hi s vine' d' s The s taken along the line 9 9 of Fig. Blocking in the 6 i p v Wi h. an n onl n h or sh nk direction of the arrows. 25,'having a centrally disposed slot-28, for re-- Fig. 10 is an end view of thedevice of Figure 3 ceiving the bolts '29-2,9. The clamping member 55 looking from the left of-the said figure, 15 is grooved tofit the axle 1l;-a second clamp:

ing member 22 similarly grooved, and suitable bolts 19-19, pass through holes in the ears 18-18 of clamping member 15, and 23-23 of clamping member 22. The bolts 19-19 are provided with nuts 20-20 operable against washers 21-21 to draw clamping members 15 and 22 together to securely clamp axle 11 between said clamping members (compare Figs. 1 and 3).

Clamping member 15 is provided with spaced jaws 41-41 having beveled walls -40 defining a substantially V shaped gripping surface. Between jaws 41-41, clamping member 15 is recessed as indicated at 42 (Fig. 5), to compensate for blisters or other irregularities in the axle 11. Clamping member 22 is likewise provided with jaws 44-44 (Fig. 5) having beveled Walls 43-43 (Fig. 3) defining a substantially V shaped gripping surface; said clamping member 22 is also recessed between jaws 44-44 (Fig. 5). to compensate for blisters and other irregularities in the axle 11. Clamping member 22 is arched at 46 to afford clearance for the button shaped heads of the bolts 29-29 (see Fig. 5).

" When the clamping members 15 and 22 are tensioned upon the axle 11 by means of the nuts 2 0-20 and bolts 19-19, the axle is firmly gripped at four points between the oppositely disposed pairs of jaws 41 and 44 which are in line with the oppositely disposed pairs of ears 18 and 23, constituting the areas of maximum clamping effect. The recesses 42 and (Fig. 5) are sufiiciently large to receive and accommodate the blisters and other irregularities in the surface of the axle 11 thereby preventing them from interfering with the correct alignment of the stabilizer when it is clamped in position.

One of the clamping members, for example 15, is provided with an extension shank 16, having a longitudinal guide-way 17 therein, adapted to receive shank 25 of shoe 26. Extension shank 16 is provided with openings for the bolts 29-29, which maybe adjusted to lock shank 25 of shoe 26 to extension shank 16 of clamping member 15. Adjacent faces of the shank members 25 and 16 are serrated, burred, or otherwise roughened to afford a better gripping surface thereby maintaining the shank members in cooperative registry by preventing slippage between said members. The clamping action of bolts 19-19 and jaws 41-44 is evenly distributed on opposite sides of to recess the clamping members 15 and'22 at 42 and 45 respectively (Fig. 5) tends to prevent the true alignment of the stabilizer against blisters and irregularities in the axle 11. The double bolt clamping action tensioning the two pairs of jaws 1 41-44 against the axle 11 affords a four point hold, which effectively locks the stabilizerto the axle 11 adjacent the areas of maximurn'clamping effect, and any tendency to loosen the clamping members 15 and 22 is thus entirely overcome.

Theclamping members 15 and 22 are designed to engage the axle 11 formed from channel iron (see Fig. 3), but in the event the axle 11 were round (or of some other shape) the clamping members 15 and 22 could be suitably modified, to

conform to the shape'of the axle.

The shoulders of the longitudinal guide-way 17 impart additional rigidity to shank 25 when the same is clamped in proper position by the bolts 29-29 thus locking shanks 16 and 25 against relatively lateral movement. If the longitudinal guide-way 17 were omitted and a single bolt 29 were used, there would be a tendency for shank 25 to turn relative to shank 16 about the single bolt as a pivot thus throwing the stabilizer out of correct alignment. By using two bolts 29-29 spaced apart this tendency to permit shank 25 to turn relative to shank 16 is avoided, and the shoulders of the longitudinal guide-way 17 (see Figs. 4 and 6) serve to augment this locking feature so that the shanks are firmly interlocked against any tendency to turn and loosen bolts 29-29. As the slightest departure from correct alignment of the stabilizer may seriously impair proper steering of the motor vehicle to which the device is attached, it is very essential that after the stabilizer has once been correctly aligned all risk of accident which in alignment during the operation of the vehicle be eliminated as far as possible.

It thus appears that the double bolt axle clamp gripped at four spaced points by the oppositely disposed pairs of jaws 41 and 44, the interlocking of shanks 16 and 25 by the shoulders of longitudinal guide-way 17, the provision of serrations upon theadjacent faces of shank. members 25 and 16, and the use of the two bolts 29-29, all serve to effect unchangeable alignment of the stabilizer and stabilizer parts after it has once been placed in correct adjustment.

It should be observed that the shoe 26 and shank 25 are made in one piece preferably in theform of a malleable casting so that the shoe and shank are rigidly secured together against relative movement. It should also be observed that the shanks 25 and 16 form a straight line adjustment with the clamping members 15 and 22 and the axle 11 so that there are no low hanging parts to obstruct the free passage of the under-carriage of the vehicle. By using the adjustable twopiece clamp partially encircling the axle 11 and conforming to the contour thereof it becomes unnecessary to drill. holes in the axle in order to secure the stabilizer in position; this is an advantage because only garages having machine shop equipment could install the stabilizers if it were necessary to drill the axle, and an incompetent mechanic might substantially impair the strength of the axle during the drilling operation.

Shoe 26 is rabbeted adjacent the point of merger with its shank 25, to define a shoulder for the lining 27. The stops 126 retain the outer end of lining 27 in position, and the action of the shoulder and of the stops 126 is augmented by the rivets 127-127 which pass through the lining and through holes drilled in the angular shoe 26 to retain lining 27 in fixed position. The

side walls or jaws of shoe 26 are arranged ,at such an angle that the steering rod 14 will always be spaced away from the apex of the shoe, so that the lining 27 will only bear against the. steering rod 14 at two separate radially disposed points, and the free end of the shoe will have a certain amount of resiliency as will the lining 27, so that in the straight forward running position of the motor vehicle the lining 27 will be in frictional engagement with two spaced radial sections of the steering rod 14 but with the apex of shoe or friction guide 26 spaced from steering rod 14 (see Figs. 1 and 3), and the lining 27 being self-resilient will tend to assume the contour of the steering rod at the points of frictional contact without bending or bowing the steering rod thereby throwing the steering wheels out of proper alignment, which'frequently occurs in existing devices having shoe 25 conforming to the configuration of the steering rod 14, and adjustedsnugly relativethereto. Shoe or friction guide 26 is cut away to define the elongated recesses 226 (Figs. 2, 3 and 4) to conserve metal, for strength, and to accommodate the compressed lining 27, when pressure is exerted on said lining.

The outwardly diverging (angular) side Walls or jaws of shoe or friction guide 26 are self-adjustable to steering rods of varying diameters and may be further separated as by bending if desired, whereby the shoe 26 becomes in effect a universal friction guide for any type motor vehicle. The steering rod 14 indicated in dotted outline in Fig. 3, which is assumed to be of minimum diameter, is spaced a substantial distance from the apex formed by the side walls or jaws of shoe or friction guide 26; steering rods of larger diameter will be spaced at a still greater distance from the apex and will be frictionally engaged at two widely spaced radially disposed points by the said side walls or jaws. It should be observed that the side walls or jaws of the shoe or friction guide 26 define an acute angle, thereby wedging the tie-rod 14 in spaced relation to the apex of the shoe or friction guide 26.

The clamping member 15 and shank 16 are formed from a single piece of metal, the clamping member 15 hooking around the side of the axle 11 remote from the tie-rod 14 so that when the tie-rod engages the shoe 26 there will be a direct pull exerted by hooked clamping member 15 upon the side of axle 11 remote from the tierod 14, and the strain imparted by pressure exerted by the tie-rod 14 upon clamping member 15 will therefore be resisted not only by the clamping member 15 and the bolts l919 but also by the axle 11. This hooking effect therefore serves to augment the action of the bolts 19--l9 and the clamping members 15 and 22. If the clamp were bolted directly to the wall of the axle 11 adjacent tie-rod 14, any strain imparted to the stabilizer by the pressure of the tie-rod l4 exerted against the shoe 25 would be taken up by the bolts passing through the clamp and the axle, and the strain upon the clamp would tend to separate the clamp from the axle rather than to draw them together. Such a construction would not utilize the strain resisting characteristics of the axle l1, and the tendency of the clamping bolts would be to loosen up thereby rendering the stabilizer much less stable than in the construction herein described.

At the point of merger between shoe 26 and shank 25 a plurality of reinforcing ribs 4747 are provided for strengthening the shank and shoe to eliminate any tendency of the shank or shoe to'bend or break at the point of merger due to the pressure exerted by the tie-rod 14 or from any other cause. These reinforcing ribs are preferably molded as an integral part of the shank and shoe and may be disposed parallel and substantially in alignment with the side walls of the shank 25 thereby reinforcing the shank and the shoe at the point defined by the angle formed between them.

The method of adjustment is as follows: The clamping members are secured to the middle point of the axle 11, and the bolts 19 loosely drawn into place; bolts 2929 are then loosened and shoe 25 is adjusted until it frictionally engages the connecting rod 14 at two radially spaced points when the wheels'are .in straight forward running position; the steering wheel is now moved to cause the connecting rod 14 to move towards the axle a fraction of an inch, 'and'the shoe 26 is now moved towards the steering rod to reduce the separation between theshoe and the clamping member a fraction of an inch and all bolts are then fully tightened. When the front wheels are restored to the straightforward running position, two radially spaced points of connecting rod l4will frictionally engage two similarly spaced points of the lining 27. A slight jolt of one wheel 12 transmitted to connecting rod 14 will not pass beyond the bridge formed by the clamp and shoe between the rod 14 and axle 11, but will be absorbed or dissipated without affecting the position of the other wheel 12. As both the lining 27 and the free ended side wall of angular shoe 26 havea certain degree of resiliency, the jar of the wheel 12 may momentarily rock the tie-rod 14 closer to the apex of the angular shoe 26 without distorting said tie-rod. In this manner the trouble commonly known as shimmying is eliminated without injury to the tie-rod. The device will not interfere with the normal operation of the steering wheel but will actually ease the steering burden by assisting the operator in keeping the motor vehicle headed straight on the road. In this way the car is stabilized and its correct operation facilitated.

Figures '7 to 12 inclusive show a modified form of stabilizer whereina fiat friction member 52 is substituted for the angular shoe 26 shown in the preceding figures of the drawings.

This device is provided with clamping members 15 and 22 secured together by bolts 1919, nuts 2020 and washers 21-2l as before. The shank 16 however is provided with a bracket 50 having a slotted guide-way 51 for receiving a slotted shank 57 which in turn is secured to the fiat friction member 52 by a link 56. Slotted shank 5'? is adjustable relative to the slotted guide-way 51 and may be locked in any desired position by means of clamping bolts 29. Adjacent faces of guide-way 51 and slotted shank 57 are serrated (as at 58, Figs. 8 and 12) to afford a better gripping surface thereby maintaining the said guideway and shank in co-operative registry by preventing slippage.

Oppositely disposed faces of the fiat friction member 52 are provided with strips of brake lining 55-55 which are riveted at 60-450 to the metal base 54 of friction member52.

Friction member 52 may be adjusted to engage against the upper edge of tie-rod 14 as shown in Fig. 9, or it may be removed from bracket 50 and reversed as shown in Fig. 11 to engage with the underside of tie-rod 14. As the shank 59'is slidably adjustable relative to bracket 50 the form of stabilizer shown in Figs. 8 to 12 inclusive can be universally applied to any type of motor velicle having a large or small tie-rod. In this form of device there is no risk whatsoever that the momentary jarring of the tie-rod will cause any bending or other distortion thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In a stabilizer for the steering wheels of a motor vehicle and in combination, a two piece adjustable clamp having a plurality of oppositely disposed pairs of spaced jaws for gripping the axle carrying the steering wheel at a plurality of spaced points, means operable to lock the clamp to the axle at said spaced points, a V-shaped shoe having converging side walls, the

bottom of the V being of less diameter than the rod, defining an angularly disposed opening for frictionally engaging the connecting rod at two separate and spaced points to control steering of the wheels and a shank portion slidably adjustable relative to the clamp to vary the position of said shoe relative to said connecting rod, and meansoperable to locksaid shank to said clamp at a plurality of spaced points when said shoe is in proper frictional engagement wit said rod.

2. In a stabilizer for the steering wheels of a motor vehicle, the combination of a clamping MICHAEL J. DAVIS. 

